How much money you make off instagram


How To Make Money on Instagram in 2022 (7 Best Ways)

This guide will explore 7 quick and easy methods for how to make money on Instagram.

You’ve probably heard stories of Instagrammers cashing in on the pictures they snap and share every day. You might’ve even looked at your own sizable following and thought, “Maybe I can do that full time too.”

Together, social media reach and influence offer the opportunity for Instagram creators to explore multiple streams of potential revenue, whether they want to build an empire or just earn some extra cash and free stuff.

Shortcuts ✂️

  • How to make money on Instagram
  • How much do Instagram influencers make?
  • How many Instagram followers do you need to make money?
  • Getting paid on Instagram and beyond
  • Make money on Instagram FAQ

Free Webinar: How to Grow and Monetize Your Instagram Account

A free workshop with field-tested Instagram marketing tips. Learn how to grow your Instagram audience and monetize it with an online store.

Reserve your seat now

How to make money on Instagram

  1. Collaborate with brands on sponsored posts
  2. Become an affiliate
  3. Open your own ecommerce store
  4. Create an Instagram shop
  5. Sell your photos online
  6. Monetize your content
  7. Sell old stuff

The methods that may work the best for you will depend on your unique brand of Instagram content, your target audience, and your level of commitment.

The beauty here is that chasing one revenue stream doesn’t necessarily rule out another.

So let’s start with the most common approach to Instagram monetization: partnering with brands as an influencer.

1. Collaborate with brands on sponsored content

The term “Instagram influencer” gets thrown around a lot these days.

An influencer is basically anyone who’s built themselves an online reputation by doing and sharing awesome things online. To their audiences, influencers are tastemakers, trendsetters, and trusted experts whose opinions about certain subjects are respected.

Many brands just can’t compete with that, so they partner with influencers on sponsored content like posts, Reels, and Stories that help get the word out about their products.

But it’s not just the follower count and reach of your Instagram account that brands want—it’s your audience’s trust and engagement with high-quality content.

It can be hard to balance your revenue as an influencer and your integrity as a creator, but if you’re not relying on your Instagram marketing income to stay afloat, you always have the freedom to be selective about the brands you work with, just as brands will be selective about the Instagrammers they work with.

How to decide what to charge as an influencer

Typically these influencer deals involve the creation of content—Instagram ads, a post, a video, or a Story—and will sometimes include permission for the brand to use this content on their own site or in an ad.

Most of these deals are negotiable and can involve a single post or an entire campaign in exchange for a fee, a free product, a service, a gift, the promise of exposure, or some combination of these.

Keep in mind when negotiating that you’re not just offering content but access to your audience—a potentially large reach on one of the most popular social media platforms around—and usage rights.

The average influencer who has upward of 100,000 followers charges up to $500 per post, just to give you an idea of what some brands are willing to pay and how to negotiate based on the cards you’re holding.

Finally, it's important as an influencer to also know your own audience.

What is the makeup of your audience, and what is your engagement rate (total engagement divided by your number of followers)? You can dig up numbers to back this up in your Instagram analytics report, if you’ve switched to a business account. This will help you be prepared when it comes time to negotiate.

How to find brands to work with

If you’re big enough, chances are brands will find you. But you can also look for brands to work with that are on a similar level in terms of personality and values, so your audience won’t feel like you’re “selling out.”

You can reach out to them directly to try to work out a deal, but you can also list yourself on one of the many influencer marketplaces out there to increase your chances of being discovered, including:

  • Fohr. Connect your Instagram, blog, YouTube channel, and other social platforms to create an influencer “card” that shows your different profiles and total reach to brands shopping for a partnership. You can also access a list of brands and their wants, so you can take the initiative to reach out too.
  • Crowdtap. Do small content creation tasks to earn rewards. This is great if you’ve got a smaller audience. Available in the US only. 
  • indaHash. Brands post campaigns you can participate in. Post a picture with the specified hashtags on Instagram and get paid. You need at least 700 engaged followers to be eligible.

The rules vary when it comes to sponsored content, but to be on the safe side and respect your audience’s trust, consider adding a #sponsored hashtag to indicate sponsored posts.

You can find examples of sponsored posts and how Instagrammers integrate brands into their story or caption by searching #sponsored on Instagram, like this one from How They Asked, an account that shares wedding proposal stories and partners with a jewelry business:

Instagram also has a “Paid Partnership with” tag that prominently identifies sponsored posts, which some brands might require you to use to disclose your relationship with them.

2. Become an affiliate

Unlike an influencer, an affiliate is more invested in making sales for the partner brand—not just generating awareness—in exchange for a commission.

This is typically done with a trackable link or unique promo code to ensure clicks actually translate into sales. Use a mix of clickable links in your Instagram bio and Instagram Stories or through stickers. Since you can’t put links in Instagram posts, you can create promo codes so you can make money from different angles. 

Consider reaching out to one of the many online merchants offering affiliate programs. Or you can explore popular marketplaces like:

  • ClickBank. An affiliate platform with a tier-based commission that’s open to everyone.
  • LTK. An invitation-only fashion and lifestyle influencer network that offers 20% commissions.
  • Amazon Associates. A popular option that pays out a 10% commission.

Though it sounds like a numbers game, affiliate marketing is also an art, and you’ll have a better chance at success if you have a plan going into it and expand your online presence to include a website and other marketing channels.

Tip: Affiliate links can be long and ugly, so I recommend a URL shortener like Bitly, especially if the links are going in your Instagram bio.

3. Open your own ecommerce store

By now it might sound like the only way for an Instagrammer to make money is to sell out and work with other brands.

But creators of all kinds are in a good position to “sell out” with their own products: physical goods, services, or digital items that can be an extension of their brand, building a business with an audience at its center.

The ability for [content creators] to sell products is just so natural because their abundance of content allows them to have those moments of plugging their products.

Chris Vaccarino, founder of Fanjoy

You need to invest some time upfront, but in today’s world, it’s almost natural for creators to make the leap to entrepreneurship. That’s becoming easier with the growing list of Instagram tools available to build an audience. 

Just look at Loki the Wolfdog, one of the biggest Instagram dog-preneurs of his time.

By selling your own stuff, you don’t need to worry about integrating messages from other brands into your posting strategy. Better yet, you can get your own brand out there on the products you sell.

Fans can show their love and support your work by buying from you—a purchase they can feel good about.

There are a few ways to sell your own merch:

  • You can use a print-on-demand service to print and ship your own t-shirts, pillows, coffee mugs, wall art, and more.
  • You can sell services such as photography or consulting using your bio to direct interested people to a contact email or a link to your professional website.
  • You can sell digital products such as online courses, ebooks, or design templates.
  • You can use your Instagram business account to launch a startup selling your own original products. You can use dropshipping fulfillment so you don’t have to deal with holding inventory or returns.

Superpowered social links

Linkpop is a tool that lets you create a customized landing page for all your brand links. It’s free, customizable, and best of all: shoppable.

Get Linkpop 

4. Create an Instagram Shop

The past few years have been huge for ecommerce brands and creators who want to sell on social media. Instagram has released a ton of features under the Instagram Shopping umbrella, which allows people to easily shop your business’ videos and images on the platform. 

Instagram shopping tags are so effective—and over 130 million people are tapping on shopping tags every month—because they allow people to go from product inspiration to product information in just a few taps."

Taylor Loren, in an edited excerpt from the course How to Make Money on Instagram

It all starts with an Instagram shop, a.k.a. your storefront. There, you can share your story and sell products. Instagram provides a sleek experience for shoppers to browse and buy your collections. All you need to set up Instagram Shopping is a Business or Creator account. 

You can customize your shop by creating collections or curated products presented in themes. Common themes include new arrivals, gifts, or seasonal trends. 

Just like your online store, you can also create product description pages in your shop. Here you can include all relevant product information, like pricing and descriptions. You can send people to your website to complete a purchase or let them buy through the app using Instagram checkout. 

It doesn’t stop there. People can also buy your products throughout Instagram via features like:

  • Shoppable posts and Stories. You can use product tags to showcase items from your catalog in videos and images. People simply need to tap to learn more about an item.
  • Shoppable ads. You can also add product tags to ads and extend the reach of your shoppable posts. Setup is simple inside Ads Manager, or you can boost existing Instagram posts in your feed.
  • Instagram Shop tab. Instagram’s shopping tab is a destination for people looking to discover new brands that are relevant to them. This helps you more easily reach new customers on the app.
  • Live shopping. Do you love livestreaming content? Then you’ll find Instagram live shopping helpful for making money. Just go live and tag products from your catalog (or Facebook shop) to feature in your broadcast. The product will show up at the bottom of the screen, where people can tap to purchase instantly.

The best part? Setting up an Instagram shop is free. You’ll only pay a commission if someone purchases through Instagram checkout.

5. Sell your photos online

Someone might get famous on Twitter by telling 140-character jokes, but Instagram is a photo-sharing app at its core. And photos are assets that can be licensed, printed, and sold in a variety of ways.

If photography is what got you into the Instagram game in the first place, you can list your photos in marketplaces like 500px or Twenty20, where brands and publishers might license them.

However, you can also sell your photos as prints and on other physical products using a similar method described in the last section. Services like Printful and Teelaunch let you put your photos on posters, phone cases, pillows, and more, taking care of fulfilling orders and customer service, so all you really need to worry about is making sales.

Take the story of Daniel Arnold, who, according to an interview in Forbes, went from “eating toast three meals a day” to making $15,000 in 24 hours by offering to sell prints of his popular-but-controversial photos. If you've already got the demand, all you need to do is take the initiative and offer your audience the opportunity to buy your photography from you.

6. Monetize your content 

Monetize your videos with ads

Another way for entrepreneurs to make money on Instagram is through in-stream video ads. With these ads, brands can promote themselves within the videos you produce. 

How much you earn depends on the amount of views your video gets, or “Monetizeable Plays,” according to Instagram. You’ll get 55% of ad revenue generated from each view, paid monthly to your bank account.  

Turn on In-stream Video Ads and start earning in three steps:

  1. Go to Account Settings. Tap Creator, then In-Stream Video Ads.
  2. Tap Get Started. Read and agree to the terms and conditions. 
  3. Toggle Allow Monetization on your existing Instagram videos, then tap Continue to finish. 

To earn through In-Stream Video Ads, your content must be original and you need to own the rights to any music. Your video needs to be two minutes or more to monetize. Images, polls, looping videos, slideshows, or text montages don’t qualify.

Live badges

Live badges are a newer feature, helping creators and influencers make money on Instagram. A popular concept taken from Twitch and TikTok, think of Instagram Live badges as tips you can receive during a live broadcast. 

With this feature, viewers can purchase a badge during the livestream that shows in the comments and unlocks features, including a place on the creators’ badge list and access to a special heart.  

People can buy:

  • One heart for $0.99
  • Two hearts for $1.99
  • Three hearts for $4.99

7. Sell old stuff

If you’re not an influencer and just want to make some extra cash, Instagram is a great place to sell old stuff. Whether it’s furniture, clothing, collectors items or even Mason jars, you can make side income selling it on Instagram. Plus, you can declutter your home and help save the environment.

Take Lavender Loveseat, for example. Based in Chicago, the team finds older pieces of furniture, refinishes them, and sells them through Instagram. The brand shares fun, entertaining content on its page to attract buyers and earn sales. 

Read More: From Likes to Dollars: Here's How to Sell Your Products on Instagram

How much do Instagram influencers make?

There are a number of factors that determine how much an Instagram influencer makes. They can earn anywhere from a few dollars to a million dollars per post.  

The amount you make depends on a few factors: 

  1. Number of followers
  2. Engagement rates
  3. Affiliate marketing tactics

The good news? There is room for any size account to make money on Instagram. There are generally five tiers of influencer marketing, broken down by follower count. 

  • Nano-influencer: 1,000–10,000 followers ($10–$100 per post)
  • Micro-influencer: 10,000–50,000 followers ($100–$500 per post)
  • Mid-tier influencer: 50,000–500,000 followers ($500–$5,000 per post)
  • Macro-influencer: 500,000–1 million followers ($5,000–$10,000 per post)
  • Mega-influencer: 1 million+ followers ($10,000–$1 million+ per post)

If you don’t have a lot of followers, don’t get discouraged. Earning your followers’ trust and engaging with them will help your account grow. More than the number of followers, brands look for influencers to work with that have an active following.

So even if you only have 1,000 followers, you can still make some real money. To give you a little inspiration, here are some examples of the top non-celebrity influencers who have made the most of Instagram with their accounts:

  • Lele Pons: 46 million followers
  • Charli D'Amelio: 44.4 million followers
  • Addison Rae: 40.1 million followers
  • Sommer Ray: 26.8 million followers

Related Article: It’s Your Time to Shine: How to Find and Work With Instagram Influencers

How many Instagram followers do you need to make money?

If by now you’re wondering how many followers you need to start bringing in real revenue, the short answer is: not as many as you think.

The long answer depends on factors that range from:

  • What niche you’re in and how easily you can directly tie it to a product category (fashion, food, beauty, and fitness are popular niches, based on top Instagram hashtags)
  • How engaged your followers are (100,000 fake followers won’t amount to much)
  • Which revenue channels you explore

Naturally, the more engaged followers you have, the better. Check out our tips on how to get more followers on Instagram.

While top Instagrammers make thousands of dollars per post, even those with small but engaged followings of 1,000 have the potential to start making money.

Getting paid on Instagram and beyond

What started as a hobby—making people laugh, doing silly photoshoots with your dog, or sharing pictures of food—can snowball into the chance to turn your Instagram page into a source of income fueled by your engaged following. But why stop there? 

There’s a world of possibilities for creators to make money on the web. If you want to open up more revenue streams online, be sure to check out our tips on how to make money on YouTube. Your Instagram followers are bound to join you on other channels. You just have to open the doors for them to walk through.


Ready to create your business? Start your free trial of Shopify—no credit card required.

Make money on Instagram FAQ

Can you get paid on Instagram?

Yes. You can get paid on Instagram in the following ways:

  • Create sponsored posts for brands that want to get in front of your audience
  • Become an affiliate and making a commission selling other brands’ products
  • Create and selling a physical or digital product or offering a paid service
  • Set up an Instagram Shop
  • Sell licenses for your photography or videos
  • Monetize your content

How many followers do you need to make money on Instagram?

The more followers you have on Instagram, the more money you can make. Rates are also determined by engagement, quality of content, name recognition, audience demographic, and skill set. The standard is $10 per 1,000 followers, but can vary depending on your contract and sponsor.

How much money does 10K Instagram followers bring in?

Micro-influencers, or accounts with 10,000 followers or less, can make around $88 per post on Instagram.

How to Make Money on Instagram in 2023 (14 Proven Strategies)

If working hard and making money is the American dream, not working hard and making money is the Instagram dream. But making serious income using social media requires some serious strategy. Whether you’re a creator or a business, you’ll find the most success in making money on Instagram if you do your research.

Keep reading to get inspired by thirteen examples from creators and brands, and find tips for making money on Instagram that apply to everyone.

Can you make money on Instagram?

How much money can you make on Instagram?

How to make money on Instagram as a business

How to make money on Instagram as a creator

Bonus: Learn how to sell more products on social media with our free Social Commerce 101 guide. Delight your customers and improve conversion rates.

Can you make money on Instagram?

Hell yeah. In fact, helping creators make a living on the platform is a top priority for Instagram, especially as competition heats up from TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube.

“Our goal is to be the best platform for creators like you to make a living,” said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the company’s first-ever Creator Week in June 2021.

In 2021, Instagram was the second-most downloaded app in the world. It’s the 7th most-visited website globally, the 4th most-used social media platform, and has 1.22 billion users every month. All of which is to say: that’s a massive potential audience. With an enormous and diverse pool of people who could potentially be exposed to your content, there are plenty of opportunities to earn money.

Want more proof? Grab the popcorn and watch this video from Hootsuite Labs.

(If you’re looking for more Instagram stats—you know, to rattle off at parties and impress your friends—you can find 35 of them here).

How much money can you make on Instagram?

Numbers are tricky, because creators and brands are notoriously private about how much money they’re making. On top of that, calculating income from Instagram is complicated—if you sing a song on a Reel, the sound goes viral and you get a record deal from that internet fame, then tens of thousands of people buy tickets to your concert, does that count as making money on Instagram? What if you post food videos, then provide a link to your recipe blog, and host ads on your blog that make you money?

It sounds bizarre, but that’s the way most successful creators’ journeys go. How much money you can make on Instagram depends on your credentials, audience size, engagement, strategy, hustle, and a dash of dumb luck.

Here’s how much some creators and celebs have reportedly cashed in:

$901: The average amount of money an Instagram influencer with 1,000 to 10,000 followers can make per post, according to Business Insider

$100 to $1,500: How much a creator can be paid for a swipe-up advertisement on their Instagram stories according to Brian Hanly, CEO of Bullish Studio (a talent agency for influencers)

$983,100: The amount Kylie Jenner reportedly makes per ad or sponsored content post

$1,604,000: The amount Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly makes per post

In 2021, Hype Auditor surveyed almost 2 thousand influencers (most based in the U.S.) about how much money they make. Here’s what they found:

  • The average influencer makes $2,970 per month. “Average” numbers aren’t the best to go by, since there’s so much differentiation between the highs and lows—as is referenced in the next stat!
  • Micro-influencers (accounts with one thousand to ten thousand followers earn on average $1,420 per month, and mega-influencers (accounts with over one million followers) earn about $15,356 per month.

Source: Hypeauditor

Top 5 Instagram Earners in 2022

Obviously, celebrities have a leg up in notoriety, and when they sign up for Instagram they automatically get thousands of followers. Although that is not the same for all of us, it’s inspiring to see just how much someone can make through being an influencer on a social media platform. Here are the top 5 earners on Instagram today:

  1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 475 million followers with an estimated average price per post of $1,604,000
  2. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – 334 million followers with an estimated average price per post of $1,523,000
  3. Ariana Grande – 328 million followers with an estimated average price per post of $1,510,000
  4. Kylie Jenner – 365 million followers with an estimated average price per post of $1,494,000
  5. Selena Gomez – 341 million followers with an estimated average price per post of $1,468,000

How to make money on Instagram as a business

Being present, active, and engaging on Instagram (and keeping up with trends) is one of the best ways to find business success on the platform in 2022. Here’s how to do it.

1. Promote special offers

The online audience is a sucker for a good deal (and Instagram users love to buy stuff: 44% of Instagrammers say they use the app to shop weekly).

Use Instagram to showcase all the great things about your company—specifically, anytime you’re having a sale. Not only does posting your sale, promo code, or special offer on Instagram advertise a sale to your followers, but it also makes the information easily shareable.

This holiday sale post from clothing brand @smashtess has lots of comments that are just people tagging their friends. It’s an awesome way to promote the sale and also have the sale shared organically.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Smash + Tess (@smashtess)

2. Set up countdowns to new launches

You can use Instagram to give your followers a sneak peek of new releases, launches, or product lines—and using the “Countdown” or “Reminder” functions, you can provide potential customers with a simple way to flag when those new products will be available for sale. This creates some hype around your offer, and once the release happens, users get a notification reminding them to check out the goods (and, hopefully, check out the goods).

3. Set up an Instagram Shop

Instagram Shops are a direct method of making money off of the app. Users can buy products using the platform’s native e-commerce tools, and it’s easy to set up a shop.

Instagram shops are an impulse buyer’s best friend (or worst nightmare, depending on how you look at it). Your shoppable products or services will show up in your followers’ news feeds, along with regular posts.

Hosting an Instagram shop is also a great way to provide quick customer service to folks who use social media (basically everyone—75% of the global population over the age of 13). Customers can DM you or comment on posts to learn more about your brand. (Hint: if you’re feeling overwhelmed in your DMs, consider using a chatbot to support your customer service team.)

When you post something with a buyable item, the little shop icon will appear on the post, letting viewers know that it’s available for purchase.

Home goods store @the.modern.shop uses shoppable tags in many of their posts.

4. Schedule shoppable Instagram posts with Hootsuite

You can create and schedule or auto-publish shoppable Instagram photos, videos, and carousel posts alongside all your other social media content using Hootsuite.

To tag a product in an Instagram post in Hootsuite, follow these steps:

1. Open your Hootsuite dashboard and go to Composer.

2. Under Publish to, select an Instagram Business profile.

3. Upload your media (up to 10 images or videos) and type out your caption.

4. In the preview on the right, select Tag products. The tagging process is slightly different for videos and images:

  • Images: Select a spot in the image, and then search for and select an item in your product catalog. Repeat for up to 5 tags in the same image. Select Done when you’re finished tagging.
  • Videos: A catalog search appears right away. Search for and select all the products you want to tag in the video.

5. Select Post now or Schedule for later. If you decide to schedule your post, you will see suggestions for the best times to publish your content for maximum engagement.

And that’s it! Your shoppable post will show up in the Hootsuite Planner, alongside all of your other scheduled content.

You can also boost your existing shoppable posts directly from Hootsuite to help more people discover your products.

Note: You’ll need an Instagram Business account and an Instagram shop to take advantage of product tagging in Hootsuite.

Try Hootsuite free for 30 days

5.

Set up a chatbot

An easy way to provide excellent customer service and make sales through direct messages is to set up an Instagram chatbot. A chatbot is integrated directly into your Instagram account and website and can answer any frequently asked questions from your followers. If the question is too complicated for the conversational AI chatbot, then it will automatically pass the inquiry to a real live member of your team.

And how can a chatbot help you earn on Instagram? Simple!

An Instagram chatbot can recommend products in your shop, directly to your customers within the chat, leading to faster and more streamlined sales.

If a customer inquires about what color foundation you have in stock, the chatbot can serve up three different options that the user can quickly add to their cart without ever leaving the platform.

Source: Heyday

Get a free Heyday demo

6. Partner with creators

Influencer marketing allows you to share your company with the creator’s audience (and the creator also gets a spotlight for your audience—it’s a win-win).

When you’re researching folks to collaborate with, make sure you pay attention to their content and values: you want to pick someone who has goals that align with your own, so the partnership makes sense to customers and doesn’t seem like some oddball marketing scheme.

For example, it makes sense for a plant-based bakery to partner with a vegan influencer (more sense than Bill Nye partnering with Coca-Cola, that’s for sure).

Try to collaborate with creators who would be likely to try and/or like your products, anyway—for example, dancer @maddieziegler has long had a partnership with activewear brand @fabletics. You can offer the creator money, goods, or an affiliate deal (more info on that in the “Join an affiliate program” section of this post, just above!) in exchange for posting about your company.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by maddie (@maddieziegler)

7.

Partner with other businesses

Like partnering with creators, partnerships with other businesses give folks on both sides of the deal an opportunity to interact with a wider consumer base. Try contacting other businesses like yours and hosting a contest or giveaway—it’s an excellent way to gain followers and tap into a new audience.

This giveaway from @chosenfoods and @barebonesbroth requires entrants to like and save the post, follow both companies, and tag a friend in the comments. Both brands are building their audience—followers just waiting to be converted into consumers.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Chosen Foods (@chosenfoods)

8. Straight-up advertise

Hey, the basics still work. Advertising on Instagram is one of the ways you can make money on the platform and actually track your progress. You can turn any post into an ad by boosting it, and your Instagram analytics will tell you how much of a difference the boost made.

How to make money on Instagram as a creator

Even if you don’t have a “business” in the conventional sense, there are lots of ways you can use Instagram to make money as an individual. With a solid following and clear niche, you have influence—and can be an influencer.

1. Partner with brands

Partnering with brands is likely the most well-known way that creators can make money on Instagram. Find a small or big brand that aligns with your values (that part is important—partnering with a brand that has nothing to do with your regular content, or even directly contradicts your regular content, will make you seem inauthentic).

Partnerships with brands can take many forms: you might be paid to make an Instagram post that features a specific product or be offered free products in exchange for content. To get started, try making a few posts that feature some of your favorite things—restaurants, skincare, whatever feels true to you—for free. You can then point to those posts as examples when you’re reaching out to brands.

Lots of makeup and beauty influencers participate in these kinds of brand deals. Here’s an example of a paid partnership post from creator @mexicanbutjapanese for Nordstrom.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mexicanbutjapanese (@mexicanbutjapanese)

Hint: when you’re participating in a paid partnership or sponsored post, be transparent. Use hashtags, mark the post as sponsored, and be clear about the partnership in your captions. Not following Instagram’s branded content guidelines can result in posts being removed—plus, it’s sketchy.

2. Join an affiliate program

This is related to brand partnerships, as joining an affiliate program still requires you to connect yourself to a business that sells specific products or experiences. Affiliate programs essentially pay you to market other people’s products (so again, you want to make sure that the products you’re highlighting align with your values). If your followers buy something from the brand through you—usually using a specific link or discount code—you get paid.

This nail artist is an affiliate marketer for a nail polish brand—when followers use her discount code to buy the nail polish, the creator makes money.

3. Enable Live Badges

For creators in the U.S., Instagram’s Live Badges is a method of making money directly through the app. During a live video, viewers can purchase the badges (which cost between $0.99 and $4.99) to show their support.

To turn on Live Badges, go to your Profile and tap Professional Dashboard. Then, enable Instagram monetization. Once you’ve been approved, you’ll see a button called Set Up Badges. Tap that, and you’re good to go!

Source: Instagram

If you’ve enabled Live Badges, make sure to mention it when you go live (remind your followers that if they’d like to show their support with money, it’s easy to do so!) and express gratitude when someone purchases a badge. Saying thank you goes a long way, and will likely encourage other people to pitch in.

Bonus: Learn how to sell more products on social media with our free Social Commerce 101 guide. Delight your customers and improve conversion rates.

Get the guide now!

4. Sell your merch

Using Instagram as a marketing tool for your other revenue streams is a great strategy for moneymaking. If you’ve curated your personal brand enough to have a certain look, logo, catchphrase, or anything else that’s recognizably you, consider selling merch that’s splashed with that extra sparkle (you’re brand). You can make money from sales—plus score some free advertising when your followers start walking around with your name on their sweatpants.

Drag queen extraordinaire Trixie Mattel sells branded merch and uses Instagram as a platform to advertise.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Trixie Mattel (@trixiemattel)

5. Link to your blog or vlog

Selling advertising space on your own website—or making money from Youtube—can be super lucrative, and you can use Instagram to direct your followers to that external site (hint: use a link tree to make the most of that link in your Instagram bio).

Here are some quick examples:

  • Foodies who post pictures of food they’ve made and also have a blog where they post full recipes
  • YouTubers who post highlights of their vlog on Reels, then provide a link to their Youtube channel for the full video
  • Fashion influencers who post their outfits on Instagram and link to their website, where they share where the clothes came from
  • Outdoor adventurers who post gorgeous landscapes and link to their blog where they detail the best road trip routes

Food blogger @tiffy. cooks posts videos of her making food on her blog, and links to in-depth recipes in her bio. The recipes live on her blog, which also hosts posts that contain affiliate links.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tiffy Cooks 🥟 Easy Recipes (@tiffy.cooks)

6. Offer paid tutorials or masterclasses

This is similar to linking to a blog or vlog, but instead of making income indirectly (through businesses advertising on your page or Youtube ads), your followers are directly paying you for a service you’re providing.

If you have a particular area of expertise, you could offer an online masterclass that requires a paid ticket. This method of moneymaking is common for fitness influencers, who may post short workouts for free and then link to a full training routine that you need to pay to access.

Film colorist @theqazman offers quick tips on Instagram, but also hosts ticketed masterclasses. This way, his content still appeals to a wide (non-paying) audience, but folks who are serious about learning the ropes will pay him for a full lesson.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Qazi (@theqazman)

You can also offer tutorials or masterclasses for free and simply ask followers to tip you if they have the means—that’s the method athlete @iamlshauntay uses. Her link in bio directs followers to ways they can pay her for her work if they’re able to. This is a good technique to use if you’re looking for maximum accessibility: there’s no financial barrier to your content, but there’s still a clear way for your audience to pay you if they want to.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Latoya Shauntay Snell (@iamlshauntay)

 

Save time managing your Instagram presence using Hootsuite. From a single dashboard you can integrate your social networks with your Shopify store, add products to any social media post, respond to comments with product suggestions. Try it free today.

Try Hootsuite for free

Do it better with Hootsuite, the all-in-one social media tool. Stay on top of things, grow, and beat the competition.

Free 30-Day Trial

How much bloggers earn on YouTube in 2022

It's no secret to anyone that making money on YouTube is very real. Proper presentation and quality content is the key to success on the platform. The main question is: how much do YouTube bloggers earn? Or: how much can you really earn doing marketing on YouTube ?

There is no definite answer to these questions, since such factors as the number of views and subscribers play an important role , sources of income, advertising revenue, affiliate programs and brand collaborations.

Your YouTube income will depend entirely on your channel, location, and of course the effort and time you put in. On average, YouTube channel monetization ranges from $0.5 to $6 per 1,000 views (Cost Per Mille (CPM), translated from English as “cost per thousand”), depending on location and target audience. Earnings vary, but most bloggers average $0.5 per 1,000 views. nine0005

Gaining the right number of subscribers and views to start making good money is not an easy task. Well, thinking about a career on YouTube and want to know more about how bloggers make money? Read on, our article is just about it!

  • YouTube monetization
  • How do YouTube bloggers get paid?
  • How much do youtubers earn for each subscriber?
  • How much does YouTube pay?
  • Proven ways to make money on YouTube
  • TOP 10 richest youtubers
  • Frequently asked questions about making money on YouTube

1. YouTube Monetization

Making money online is a convenient option for those who are resourceful and want to start monetizing their skills and talents.

Founded some 17 years ago, YouTube has 1 billion hours of views per day, making it the perfect platform to run a video channel and monetize views. But when will YouTube start paying you if you've just started posting videos on the platform? nine0005

As we have already noted, earnings on YouTube depend on the number of views. The question arises: how many views do you need to get to start making money on YouTube? Keep in mind that you will not be paid for viewing the video itself, but for the number of ad views.

Also, please note that the YouTube Partner Program requires you to have at least 1,000 subscribers before you are eligible to monetize your YouTube channel. YouTube does not pay for the number of "likes" on a video. However, “likes” let the YouTube algorithm know that the channel is worth promoting. nine0005

Average CPM bid is the average bid per 1000 ad views. To maximize your ad revenue, you need to build a loyal audience, have high engagement rates, and post videos regularly.

To start making money on YouTube, you must follow the requirements of the YouTube Partner Program. Here is a checklist to help you qualify to make money on YouTube:

When does YouTube start paying for videos? YouTube Partner Program Requirements

Starting YouTube channel is possible right now, but to be successful it is important to have a clear idea of ​​what your channel is from the very beginning and maintain high quality content.

Successful YouTube bloggers usually start their video with intro , which eventually becomes their calling card. There are many YouTube intro templates on the internet to create a quality intro and give a professional look to your videos. nine0005

A good intro should include your corporate logo, which will make you stand out among thousands of other bloggers. Logos are easy to create with the various logo makers available on the internet.

The easiest way to make money from your YouTube channel is to link it to your AdSense account . However, not all videos can be monetized. Please check that your content complies with YouTube Channel Content Monetization Policy and YouTube Ad Formats. nine0005

2. How do YouTube bloggers get paid?

Once you reach the minimum amount of $100, the amount you earn will be transferred once a month directly to your bank account . In some countries, AdSense issues checks, but in most countries, direct payments to the account are preferred.

The secret to success on the YouTube platform is to create videos that are really interesting to the target audience. Every view, like, and comment lets YouTube's algorithms know that your video is cool and interesting, and as a result, YouTube sends more traffic to your channel. nine0005

Take for example blogger JennaMarbles , she is one of the most popular youtubers. The total number of views of her videos is about 1.7 billion and her net worth is about $8 million.

Let's go for it: in addition to high-quality video content, you also need to optimize your channel from the very beginning so that it ranks high on YouTube and has good visibility. Follow the link to learn how to optimize your YouTube channel and video descriptions. nine0005

Another way to increase the number of views of your video and the channel as a whole and, consequently, income is channel promotion on the Internet . It is definitely worth sharing your videos both on your social media accounts and on your website or blog: the effort will not go in vain and you will increase the number of users who see your video. Don't forget to make a detailed plan for your video marketing campaign. How much you get paid on YouTube will depend entirely on your efforts. nine0005

How to make a YouTube intro

Once you have an active YouTube channel, you will be able to apply to become a YouTube partner . If you are given a partnership, you will have access to a large number of content creation tools and have the opportunity to win prizes based on the number of views on your channel.

You can apply at any time, but in order to get into the highest rated affiliate programs, you must accumulate 15 thousand hours of viewing in the last three months. In this case, YouTube will give you the right to participate in the program even before your application is processed. nine0005

3. How much do YouTubers earn per subscriber?

If you have already thought about how many subscribers you need to get in order to start earning, we inform you that it is not the number of subscribers that matters here, but the number of views.

A large number of subscribers does not directly affect your income on YouTube. The amount you can earn on YouTube depends on the number of views and daily engagement rate.

However, don't underestimate the subscriber factor as they help you grow your channel by commenting and interacting with the videos you post.

In fact, YouTubers who make good money have been able to increase their viewing income thanks to a dedicated community and a large number of subscribers.

Having a large and loyal audience is really important, as a blogger with 10,000 followers is more likely to get 1,000 views than a blogger with 1,000 followers. Now regarding video ads and advertisers: they only pay when users click on the ad, or if they watch the video for at least half a minute. What does it mean? And the fact that if your video gets millions of views, but no one clicks on ads, you will not earn anything. nine0005

We recommend using YouTube Analytics , which provides a variety of reports and metrics to track the success of your video and channel. There you will find various statistics and reports from YouTube, such as traffic sources, watch time and demographics. Metrics can be viewed both on a computer and on a mobile device.

As you can see, YouTube's business model is based on certain factors that affect the amount you can get from this platform. When determining the fork of your YouTube earnings, some of them have a stronger impact. nine0005

To help you get the most out of YouTube and learn more about the factors that affect your earnings, we have compiled a table:

4. How much does YouTube pay?

How much YouTube pays will mainly depend on the number of views of each video. As we have already said, there are many related factors that affect earnings on YouTube (source of traffic, number of subscribers, etc.). However, once you choose your niche wisely and implement the right strategy, YouTube will pay you more than you can imagine. nine0005

According to YouTube Secrets author Sean Cannell, it's possible to make $500 a week on YouTube. If you're a beginner blogger, all you have to do is upload as many videos as you can target your specific niche or target audience, and soon YouTube will start paying you for your efforts!

5. Proven Ways to Make Money on YouTube

YouTube Viewer Statistics Reports will help you track your earnings, but it's important to know that YouTube will only pay out if you comply fully with YouTube payment thresholds .

Another way to make money on the YouTube platform is through affiliate or affiliate marketing. While affiliate marketers don't always put in the effort, it's an effective way to earn a decent income.

Most affiliate marketers use static blogs to drive traffic to affiliate links. The advantage of YouTube is that the platform makes it possible to add powerful video channel traffic to the main traffic. This is one of the most popular ways for YouTubers to make money. nine0005

Another interesting way to make money on YouTube is Super Chat and the new YouTube tool, Super Stickers. These features are paid features that allow users to color-code their comments during a YouTube live stream or video premiere. So users can support their favorite YouTubers, and those, in turn, can increase their income. You can learn more about these chips here .

6.

Top 10 richest youtubers

So, we have covered the basics of YouTube channel monetization. But how much do bloggers earn on YouTube? Here is a list of the top 10 highest paid YouTubers in the past year to show you how much money you can make on YouTube.

  1. Preston Arcement - $16 million

Preston Arsement creates gaming videos on YouTube. Early on in his journey on the platform, he started a gaming channel with Minecraft content, and now he runs multiple Minecraft servers. So he became one of the highest paid YouTubers with an income of $16 million.

  1. Logan Paul - $18 million

As we mentioned, Logan Paul is back on the list after the 2017 scandal. Like his brother Jake, Logan also posts boxing videos. In his arsenal there are fights against former world champions.

Logan is also addicted to NFT . He was one of the first celebrities to release NFTs. For his first NFT job, Women's World, he made a profit of $200,000. Overall, he sold $5 million worth of NFTs in a short period of time. nine0005

He recently released a new NFT collection called 99 Originals. It consisted of 99 photographs that he took over 99 days while traveling around the world.

In addition to the profits he made from the NFT, Logan Paul amassed over 100 million YouTube views last year on his Impaulsive podcast channel.

As described by Impaulsive, this is a show that aims to make you think and stimulate your brain. To take part in the show, Paul and his friends regularly invite celebrities such as Snoop Dogg, Tony Robbins, Gary Vee, Arnold Schwarzenegger and many others! nine0187

  1. Dude Perfect - $20 million

Dude Perfect is a team of 5 men who have been skillfully combining sports and comedy genres for about ten years. Dude Perfect has over 57 million followers. For 2020, they earned $20 million, the same as in 2018 and 2019.

  1. Ryan Cudgee - $27 million

Children's YouTube channel Ryan's World started in 2015 under the name Ryan ToysReview. Last year, the channel's creator, 10-year-old Ryan Kaji, became the top YouTube blogger for the third year in a row, earning nearly $30 million.

As of January 2022, he has over 32 million followers. In addition to his channel, Ryan is the owner of a children's clothing and toy line, as well as his own show on Nickelodeon.

  1. Nastya –— $28 million
  2. nine0175

    8-year-old blogger Anastasia Radzinskaya is from Russia and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth. Nastya, together with family members, has five family YouTube channels, the most popular of which is Like Nastya (97 million subscribers). There, Nastya and her dad usually play different games. The total number of subscribers of all family channels exceeds 130 million. Thanks to YouTube, work with brands of toys and food products, Nastya earned $ 28 million last year. nine0005

    1. Unspeakable - $28.5 million

    Unspeakable keeps talking about Minecraft, the famous video game that almost all kids are crazy about. He usually creates videos of himself playing Minecraft and other games and uploads them to his 20 million subscribers. The real name of Unspeakable is Nathan Graham, he was born in Houston, Texas. His videos are aimed at children, they do not contain violence or rude language.

    1. Rhett & Link - $30 million

    Rhett and Link are the founders of the talk show Good Mythical Morning, in which they try incompatible foods like macaroni and sushi with cheese. In addition, the duo has three other YouTube channels, and according to Forbes, they have acquired Smosh, another successful channel.

    1. Markiplier - $38 million

    Markiplier is Mark Edvard Fischbach's gaming channel with over 30 million subscribers and is one of the top youtubers with the most subscribers. Mark started making videos for YouTube in 2012 and now, in addition to his “Let’s Play” feature, he also creates comedy videos and vlogs that earned him $38 million last year. nine0005

    1. Jake Paul - $45 million

    Jake Paul is a professional boxer who uses his YouTube channel to promote his boxing career. Jake has over 20 million YouTube subscribers and has earned over $45 million from his love of sports and boxing. Last year, Jake won three fights, becoming the favorite of many boxing fans.

    Jake is not the only famous YouTuber in his family. His brother Logan is also a famous YouTube blogger. Both were popular on YouTube for years until Logan posted a video in 2017 that was filmed in a Japanese forest, a place where many suicides have occurred. Fans didn't like this video at all. Their sponsors refused to work with them, and YouTube took away their income from both! nine0005

    Years later, both brothers are back on the list of highest paid YouTubers, but it looks like the 2017 video isn't their only scandal.

    In May, Paul's older brother, on the air of the last episode of imPaulsive , revealed that Paul had invested in cryptocurrency and is now poor!

    This is quite true as the cryptocurrency market experienced the biggest crash in recent months and bitcoin fell by 25%. In addition, he blamed Joe Biden for the current crisis in the country and the collapse of the cryptocurrency market, which has nothing to do with the president. nine0005

    1. MrBeast - $54 million

    Jimmy Donaldson (known as MrBeast on YouTube) has become a real YouTube star with his eccentric videos, costly concepts and grand pranks. At the moment he has over 97 million subscribers and 5 more YouTube channels.

    He became the highest paid YouTuber with $54 million, much more than last year's leader Ryan Kaji with $29.5 million. Now he occupies the seventh position in the list of YouTube bloggers. nine0005

    One of the blogger's most interesting projects was MrBeast Burger. He had his own app and menu that allowed fans to order his signature dishes from over 1,600 restaurants. MrBeast advertised his signature dishes on YouTube to his over 90 million subscribers. As a result, the restaurants sold 5 million sandwiches and shared the profits with him.

    Other frequently asked questions about how much YouTubers make

    Below are some popular questions people ask about making money on YouTube:

    1. How much does Youtube pay per view?

    First, make sure your YouTube channel is monetized and has ads. If you skip this step, YouTube will not pay you per view. On average, the platform pays $0.18 per ad view. However, to receive your first payment from YouTube, you need to reach 1000 views. nine0005

    1. How much do YouTubers earn per year?

    As you can see from the list of the highest paid YouTubers, video content creators can actually make good money on YouTube. However, the amount received can vary greatly. It depends on the link conversion rate (CTR) and the number of video views per day. For example, if you have about 20,000 views per day with an average CTR of 50%, you will earn $10,000-$18,000 per year.

    1. How much money will 1,000 YouTube views bring?

    You can only start making money on YouTube after you get 1000 views. It may not be much, but it's a great start to your YouTube blogging career. Keep in mind that Google pays out about 68% of AdSense revenue. Accordingly, for every $100 an advertiser pays, a YouTuber receives $68 from Google. YouTube channels typically earn $18 per 1,000 ad views, which equates to roughly $5 per video view. nine0005

    1. How much does YouTube pay for 1 million views?

    It would be great to have exact figures on how much YouTube pays for 1 million views, but it really depends on many factors such as the type of content you create, the number of subscribers, etc. The average pay per 1 million views is usually between $2,000 and $3,000 if you also advertise on your videos. If you want to know your average YouTube revenue, you should estimate CPM and CPC factors using YouTube online calculators. nine0005

    1. Who is the richest YouTuber right now?

    Tops the list of the richest youtubers MrBeast, who currently earns the most on the platform in the world. His YouTube revenue was $54 million in 2021!

    Let's sum up

    We hope we didn't scare you away with this list! Don't forget that none of these bloggers became famous overnight. Their success and accumulated wealth is the result of hard work to create and promote quality content. And you can start creating original videos that will win you the recognition of the audience and make a profit. Work hard, dream, and success will surely come to you! nine0005

    Do you need some inspiration to create your first video? Check out our article on YouTube Video Ideas to determine the type of content.

    “I make more money on Instagram in one day than I make in two months teaching college.”

    Kazan now has over 600,000 followers on Instagram. On her account, she posts photos of smoothies with beautifully laid out ingredients, colorful breakfasts, and geometric fruit pieces. Before posting her "food art" on Instagram, Samira rarely had breakfast, which was why she was unassembled in the morning. nine0005

    Samira Kazan studies brain signals with MRI scanners and teaches physics and mathematics in college at the University of Oxford.

    “I am a scientist,” Samira said. “I can see what works and what doesn’t through statistical analysis.” When she notices that her followers are more likely to respond to certain content (like her popular smoothie photos), Samira realizes that posting these photos will help her grow her account.

    Fruity circles of trust, YAY or NAY ?? names?? -------------------------------------------------- -- #cabbage #pink pitaya #tomato #beetroot #kiwi #onion #orange #lime #grapefruit #dragonfruit #candy #natural #alphafoodie

    Posted by Samira Kazan - London (@alphafoodie)

    Career start

    Samira says she searched Google for healthy breakfast ideas. Among them, she constantly heard about chia seeds (Spanish sage) and kale. The woman went to the market, bought vegetables and started experimenting. The first smoothie she made was pineapple, banana, lime, oatmeal, spinach, and kale.

    Initially, she did not plan to post photos on Instagram and filmed food for herself. When Samira showed one of the pictures to her sister, she asked why she didn't post them on Facebook. “I don’t want to show off my food,” Samira replied. But the sister insisted, and the woman created an album on Facebook, where she began to upload photos of her breakfasts. After a couple of months, friends began to write to her: “Stop spamming your food! Go to Instagram." Samira got fed up with these complaints and started an Instagram account. nine0005

    Original plan was to make a Saturday #pink smoothie, but couldn't find frozen bananas ? ?, instead this is another photo of the strawberry and cranberry smoothie ?, recipe is on the blog, link in my bio @alphafoodie Happy Saturday everyone ?? #whpyoungatheart

    Posted by Samira Kazan - London (@alphafoodie)

    Soon she noticed that people were liking her photos, and then she got her first hundred subscribers. Sameer was very impressed. A hundred people believe in what I do! she thought. The woman noticed a pattern - whenever she posted a photo of a smoothie, it became very popular and she gained a lot of followers. Then Vogue wrote about Samira's account, and then she was invited to China to shoot a TV show. nine0005

    Samira began to receive invitations to various places - Cannes, Dubai, Italy - to conduct master classes or participate in various promotional events. Since at this time the woman continued to teach at the college, she took vacation days from the due month of rest to work on Instagram.

    How long does it take to publish one post

    It takes Samira about two hours to plan and create one post + time to buy the ingredients. She can’t just walk into the kitchen and start experimenting. Usually, a woman thinks through ideas for a post in advance, and then finalizes them. nine0005

    tb to the pink smoothie ?, YAY or NAY? #alphafoodie #pink

    Posted by Samira Kazan - London (@alphafoodie)

    According to Samira, she spends a lot of money on edible plants, but sees these expenses as an investment.

    A lot of time is spent thinking through advertising posts. Samira always tries to make them interesting for subscribers so that they do not annoy them.

    When and what to publish

    Samira relies on statistics and mathematics. “If you see that people are actively responding to some content and it is gaining a huge number of likes, then you need to continue to publish it,” she says.

    Another shot of the edible Rubik's cube, YAY or NAY?! ???

    Posted by Samira Kazan - London (@alphafoodie)

    She also noticed that subscribers like symmetry, fruit circles and paired objects. For example, when she posts a photo with two cups of smoothies, it gets more likes and comments than a single smoothie. Geometric shapes draw people in — in Samira's experience, a tart with squares and triangles evokes a greater reaction than a tart with strawberries. nine0005

    Samira draws inspiration from everything around her. “Art is everywhere. It all depends on your perception, she said. “One day I saw workers making a brick wall and I thought, ‘I want to make a fruit wall.’”

    About account monetization

    Sometimes in a day Samira earns on Instagram as much as a university professor earns in two months. But earning on Instagram is unstable. Still, Samira considers teaching to be her main source of income and relies primarily on it. “You can make a lot of money on Instagram,” she admits. “But one day it may happen that you wake up and Instagram is no more.” nine0005

    Samira loves long-term collaborations with brands because they are mutually beneficial. They can bring a stable income for six months. Sometimes a six-month contract can make more money than teaching in a year.

    *GIFT TIME* - I am super excited to partner up with @PowerUpSnacks to gift one lucky winner the ULTIMATE snack collection that includes over 20 different types of goodies for you to enjoy this spring and summer. All you have to do is: 1. Follow me (@alphafoodie) and @PowerUpSnacks 2. Leave a (hungry) emoji when done. BONUS: Tag two friends who love snacking on delicious raw foods (each comment is an entry)! The winner will be announced on May 15th. good luck! ?? #alphafoodie #PowerUpSnacks Inspiration of pigs mud cake decoration is from CharlisCrafyKitchen's youtube video. The base of the cake is made from just one GOJI powerupsnacks pack, the chocolate ganache is raw vegan made from raw cacao, maple, avocado, coconut, orange & vanilla ??❤️

    Posted by Samira Kazan - London (@alphafoodie)

    Samira receives many offers from advertisers, but also rejects many - this is because she does not like some of them. She was once offered $35,000 to advertise electronic cigarettes. Samira does not smoke or drink, so this advertisement was irrelevant for her.

    Advice for those who want to become an Instagram star

    “Use hashtags and take interesting pictures,” advises Samira. - Don't worry if your account stats aren't growing. If you post a cool photo, everyone will share it and tag friends on it. By posting your photos, people gain followers, and you get more exposure. Plan your posts and see how they look together. For example, if I have 9posts per week, I'll consider how they look next to each other."

    Samira believes in asking your followers questions and showing that you are interested in creating better content. In Instagram stories, you can conduct polls and find out what your audience likes best.

    Left or right ??? #alphafoodie

    Posted by Samira Kazan - London (@alphafoodie)

    There should be a balance between promotional and regular publications. “If you advertise something, you should like it,” says Samira.


    Learn more